On May 7, days before Mr. Muñoz was apprehended at the border, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump administration would criminally prosecute everyone who illegally crosses the Southwest border, in what he called a "zero tolerance" policy meant to deter new migrants, mainly from Central American countries like Honduras. An anonymous government official told Reuters that these numbers have risen even higher in recent weeks, though there's no data available to the public on the exact amount of families separated since February.

The death is the latest incident to cast a harsh spotlight on the zero tolerance policy, which advocates for immigrants have denounced as inhumane and on the processing center, which a US senator recently likened to a dog kennel.

These policies have drawn a lot of criticism and Democrats have recently introduced legislation that aims to prevent family separation at the border. "Families must be allowed to go through the process of seeking protection in the US together, without unnecessary and harmful separation".

Civil rights groups have also taken action against the Trump administration's policies.